Who’s afraid of the big, bad STAAR?
NOT US!
Test Blueprint
 4 reading selections
 4 editing/revising passages
 63 multiple choice questions (35 reading, 28 writing)
 3 SAR’s
 2 persuasive essays
Writing: Persuasive Essays
26% of total score
 The prompt will ask you to state your position(or something
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like that). Make sure you respond to the prompt.
Remember to use logos, ethos, and pathos.
It’s essential that you acknowledge the opposing viewpoint at
least once. This can be done in your thesis or in a body
paragraph concede/refute.
You MUST have a nice, clear thesis statement that contains
your succinct position on the prompt.
Make sure your tone is persuasive.
Transitions and flow are important!
Focus must be narrow and deep. You only have 26 lines.
Persuasive Essays contd.
 The best development is based on your experiences and
thinking about the world. The more real it is, the better it
is.
 Use an authentic voice. This is not an opportunity to show
off every big vocab word you’ve ever learned.
 Please write a rough draft before transferring to your
answer document. Your final draft needs to be as close to
error-free as you can get it.
Read the following quotation.
Authentic patriotism is not about you, what you believe or what you think is right.
. . . Authentic patriotism is not an opinion. It is an action.
—Stephen Kiernan
Think carefully about the following statement. Some people define themselves by
what they believe, while others allow their actions to speak for them.
Write an essay stating your position on which is more important: what a
person thinks or what a person does.
Be sure to —
state your position clearly
use appropriate organization
provide specific support for your argument
choose your words carefully
edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and spelling
Writing: Multiple Choice
24% of total score
 Editing and Revising (2 separate sections)
 Editing will require you to look for mechanical errors.
Revising requires you to re-write, re-arrange, etc.
sentences and paragraphs.
 Expect to see
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Subject/Verb Agreement
Verb Tense Problems
Pronoun Problems
Transitional Words
Punctuation Problems
Sentence Combining/Concision
Sentence Construction Errors
Capitalization Errors
Tricky Word Spellings (they’re/their/there; your/you’re)
Reading: Multiple Choice
30% of total score
 Multiple Choice
 You’ll have four readings, likely consisting of fiction,
non-fiction, poetry, and/or drama.
 Be prepared to analyze!
 Make notes in margins. Go back to actually find and
identify answers. Don’t be lazy!
The photograph reinforces the poem’s tone of —
A indifference
B desperation
C melancholy
D whimsy
The poem’s setting is significant because it helps
contrast —
A the family’s physical closeness and emotional
distance
B the opinions of the hardworking father and
the lazy child
C the presence of the father and the absence of
the mother
D the different values of the siblings within the
family
In which line does the author use passive voice to
generalize her experience?
A The nightmare sleepover.
B That’s what the books never told me.
C I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and
the getting it done a little less.
D Believe me, mistakes were made.
What is a primary difference between the poem and the
essay?
A The events described in the essay took place many
years ago, while those in the poem are current.
B The essay focuses on fewer people than the poem
does.
C The poem is told from the perspective of a child,
while the essay is from that of a parent.
D The issues explored in the essay are more
important than those in the poem.
Reading: SAR’s
20% of total score
 Your first sentence is your quote-free, clear answer to the
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question.
Find good textual evidence that is actually supportive. It’s
often about finding the “right” quote (yes, this is a test).
It’s all about analysis and textual support for your analysis.
Introduce and blend those quotes to show off your writing
maturity!
No citations necessary. That just takes up space.
Don’t start your answer with an ambiguous pronoun or a
restatement of the question.
Be sure to refer to the piece by what it actually is (story, essay,
poem, play, etc.). Not everything is a “story”.
How are the themes of “Those Winter
Sundays” and “All My Babies Are Gone
Now” similar? Support your answer with
evidence from both selections.
LUNCH!
Miscellaneous
 Plan and write rough drafts before you move to your
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answer document.
Don’t write outside any of the boxes.
Record your answers.
Five hour time limit
Work the test in any order you want
Dictionaries and thesauruses
Highlighters
Novels for afterwards